Ska music is often said to be a combination of reggae and English Beat. It is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rock steady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods. Ska music became most popular in the U.S. in the early and mid 1990s during its third wave transformation.

One of the bands, El Grande, is Portland’s longest running ska band, a high-octane eight-piece performance picking up cues from and the slack between visits of the wildly popular Boston third wave Ska band Bim Skala Bim.

The featured act of the Governor’s Inn festival will be Inspecter 7, a nine-piece American ska band formed in 1992 in New Jersey. The band became a fixture in the ska scene in New York City throughout the mid-90s. They originally played shows as Agent 86 until they renamed themselves Inspecter 7. After releasing an album on Moon Ska Records and appearing on several compilation albums, the band signed to NYC record label Radical Records and began extensive East Coast touring. Soon thereafter they released their first full-length album, “The Infamous,” and began touring nationally. Over the years, they shared the stage with other national ska acts including Bad Manners, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mephiskapheles, and The Skatalites. In 2013, they released their third full-length album, “Escapes and Illusions” which Inspecter 7 will have available for sale at the Governor’s Inn.

Tickets are only $10 for all five bands. Doors open at 6 p.m., and food will be available. More information and band links are posted on www.governorsinn.com. Tickets are on sale at the Governor’s Inn or by calling them at (603) 332-0107.